TRAI wants powers to regulate Truecaller-like apps
What's the story
The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has written to the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), seeking regulatory powers over call management apps like Truecaller. The move is aimed at preventing legitimate business calls from being wrongly blocked by these apps. The proposal is currently under discussion with the Department of Telecommunications (DoT).
Regulatory authority
TRAI requests MeitY to designate it as 'Authorized agency'
TRAI has requested MeitY to designate it as an "Authorized Agency" under the Information Technology (IT) Act. If granted, this could be a significant step toward regulating call management apps. The move comes after TRAI directed apps like Truecaller not to display spam warnings on 140-series (telemarketing) and 1600-series (banking) calls, which are meant for legitimate business use.
Response to regulation
Truecaller blames TRAI for increase in spam calls
In response to the TRAI's regulations, Truecaller has blamed the authority for a sharp rise in spam calls. The company argues that TRAI's mandate stopping apps from showing community spam warnings on 140 and 1600 series numbers has destroyed customer trust and ultimately benefited scammers. This highlights the ongoing tension between regulatory efforts and the operations of call management apps like Truecaller.